Firehouse Subs donates $20,000 to fire department

Thursday

Mar 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM

The menu at Firehouse Subs offers items including the “Hook and Ladder Sub” and the “Firehouse Chili.”

By Stephanie TaylorStaff Writer

The menu at Firehouse Subs offers items including the “Hook and Ladder Sub” and the “Firehouse Chili.” Photos of old fire stations, firefighters' gear and dalmatians hang on the walls of the restaurant near the University of Alabama campus. A old hose is coiled in the corner near the front door. The fire department theme isn't just a gimmick for the Jacksonville, Fla.-based chain. Founded by former firefighter brothers in 1994, the company has established partnerships with fire departments in the communities where it does business. More than $20,000 donated to the Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue Service is among the $5.7 million provided by the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation to departments across the country.The University Boulevard restaurant held a ceremony Wednesday to mark the $20,000 donation from Firehouse Subs' foundation to the Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue Service.The Tuscaloosa department has used the grant to refurbish 15 thermal imaging cameras that firefighters use every day, Chief Alan Martin said Wednesday. A new camera costs about $10,000. The grant allowed the department to upgrade 15 cameras for about $1,300 each. New screens and computer programs installed in the cameras will save the department maintenance costs in years to come, Martin said.“These are valuable pieces of equipment that our officers use every day,” he said. “Firehouse Subs donates a lot of money to fire departments across the country, and we're glad that we're one of them. We're able to save the taxpayers of Tuscaloosa a lot of money by doing this.”Firefighters use the cameras to detect the source of fires in home and to check for hot spots in walls or floors. They are able to detect people and pets and have also been used to locate people lost in wooded areas, Martin said. They have been useful during 18-wheeler accidents, allowing firefighters to determine how much fuel is still in a tank and where it was leaking.About half of the foundation's money comes from the used $2 pickle buckets sold at the restaurants, from customers' spare change donations made and the money collected when diners opt to round up to the nearest dollar with a debit or credit card transaction. “Our foundation is the heart of Firehouse Subs,” Firehouse Subs co-founder Robin Sorensen said Wednesday. “Every 90 days when our board gets together to make grant approvals, it's like Christmas. It's been the biggest blessing in our lives.”The other half of foundation money comes from the vendors, franchisees and the Sorensen brothers, he said.The foundation is good for business, he said, because customers see their donations being used in their communities.Tuscaloosa franchise owner Alex Karell said that his store helped feed first responders after the April 27, 2011, tornado.“Without the foundation we wouldn't be able to do what we did,” he said. “I'm really proud to be a part of it.”